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When does swarm season start?

Are there any good indicators that bees are about to swarm? I mean like what trees are blooming then, or do they swarm before the trees bloom? I have all kinds of fruit trees and berries. It'd be handy to know when to expect the most swarming. I'm planning to put up at least 7 swarm traps. Some will be 30 miles away. thanks.

Re: When does swarm season start?

For me, the highest propensity to swarm is when the flow ramps into its fullest. Here that is when the locust and tulip poplar trees bloom. Fruit trees here don't provide enough nectar to make the hives swarmy.

Re: When does swarm season start?

Thanks. We have some locust here, so that helps. I meant the fruit trees more as a way of estimating swarming time than a cause. I use my asparagus and dandylions to let me know it's time to hunt for morel mushrooms.

Re: When does swarm season start?

For Nevada MO, your prime swarming season is from May 1st to June 1st. You can have swarms as early as the 1st of April, but that is rare. There are 2 peaks for nectar flows, the first is from May 15th to June 10th and the second is in the fall from August 15th to October 15th. The fall flow is primarily from goldenrod and aster.

Re: When does swarm season start?

Here it really starts to kick into high gear about the time that the Oak trees start blooming. I know they don't use Oaks for pollen it has more to do with the time of year. I normally start getting swarm calls about the first really nice week in March. Last year it started earlier but, that was a little unusual

Re: When does swarm season start?

For undetermined reasons, we can have swarms, here, just about any time of the year. Twice now I've had nice swarms in January. Perhaps it is connected to the likelihood of AHB colonies in my vicinity. When we have wet Winter's the wildflowers can get going very well, and provide enough forage, sometimes for a fairly good flow. However, those early swarms, that did come my way, were curiously, never directly associated with wet Winter's.

The majority of swarms, I see in March, before our first major flow. During our Spring build-up period. And, later, almost as many swarms appear throughout the Summer -- especially during strong honey flows.

Re: When does swarm season start?

Actually that was a saying I heard when I lived in North Carolina near Brasstown,NC, in reference to when some crop should be planted. I forget what that crop was. Just indicates another way to live other than by the calendar.

Western NC? Probably grey squirrels. Leastwise they were pretty grey looking in the stew pot.

Re: When does swarm season start?

When oak tree leaves get to the size of a squirrels ear, you try to plant corn here in KY. Usually first of May. Another saying is the woods will be green by the first of May. Usually holds true more oft than not. About a week or so either way for swarms also. Especially after a few days of rainy weather.

Re: When does swarm season start?

Fusion Power was about dead on, I'm 90 miles north of you and swarm season starts here the 3rd or 4th week of April most years (+ or - 2 weeks some years). You would most likely be a week ahead of here.